Jiraiya quickly found a rather elegant izakaya. As soon as he entered, his eyes lit up with excitement.
Bunny girls and cat girls.
Uniforms, stockings...
"Amazing!"
"I didn't expect to find a place like this... Haha, I definitely made the right call coming here!"
Jiraiya felt slightly drunk even before taking a sip of alcohol.
Before long, a mature woman in an apron outfit led him to a private room. Soon, a group of hostesses with various styles joined him, leaving Jiraiya dazzled by the selection.
Finally, he chose one in leopard print to accompany him. Drinking as they chatted, he gleaned information about the changes in Amegakure over the years.
Much later, Jiraiya stumbled out of the izakaya, clearly intoxicated.
"Huh, it's raining?"
Looking up, he noticed a drizzle had begun, shrouding Amegakure in a misty veil.
For a moment, he felt transported back to the Rain Country of years past.
However, the cheerful shouts of children playing in the rain quickly jolted him back to the present.
Everything had changed.
Jiraiya wandered aimlessly through the rain until his inebriation subsided somewhat. Only then did he vanish from the street in a blur.
---
"Nagato's life is far too simple," Jiraiya muttered as he roamed casually through a spacious hall, poking around here and there. "It's been ages since I've been here, hasn't it?"
"For someone his age not to have found a woman... He really doesn't know how to enjoy life!"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him.
"Barging into someone else's home without permission isn't exactly polite, is it, Jiraiya-sensei?"
Jiraiya turned to see Nagato standing there, completely unfazed.
"I did knock, you know," Jiraiya replied without a hint of embarrassment.
"But no one answered, so I got worried and came in to check. Seems reasonable, doesn't it?"
Nagato countered, "But, Jiraiya-sensei, aren't you still single yourself?"
Jiraiya's smile froze. "You're really not cute at all, you know that?"
"I miss the little guy you used to be."
Nagato immediately quipped, "Is Jiraiya-sensei just trying to hide his embarrassment?"
"Hey, Nagato!" Jiraiya yelled in exasperation. "When did you become so sharp-tongued?"
Nagato quietly watched Jiraiya's antics.
Seeing this, Jiraiya shrugged helplessly. "Here I am, your teacher, coming all this way to see you, and you're not even a little hospitable!"
Nagato landed another verbal jab: "Jiraiya-sensei probably caused some trouble back in Konoha, didn't he?"
Jiraiya's face darkened instantly.
Kids really shouldn't grow up—they all become insufferable when they do.
---
After some back-and-forth banter, the two finally settled into a normal conversation while tidying up the room together.
"By the way, Nagato, are you planning on getting married? Konan already has a daughter, and she's adorable!"
"That's not part of my plan. The ninja world may seem peaceful, but the threat of the Otsutsuki still looms large."
"That's not solely your burden to bear. Besides, this is something that guy Shūichi should be worrying about. He's living quite comfortably now!"
"Is Jiraiya-sensei jealous of Shūichi?"
"Jealous? Impossible! Hmph, that guy is practically tied down to Konoha now!"
---
After finishing their cleaning, they ate instant ramen together while watching the drizzle outside.
Jiraiya remarked, "The future belongs to the younger generation. You shouldn't carry too much pressure."
"The Child of Prophecy has already appeared. The ninja world no longer needs us to save it."
Nagato responded, "Everyone's destiny is their own to control. No one person can save another, let alone the entire ninja world."
"Even the Child of Prophecy will need help from others' destinies."
Jiraiya stroked his chin thoughtfully at Nagato's words.
---
Meanwhile, in the Alliance Fortress, Shūichi, having parted ways with Kakashi, decided it wasn't the best idea to return home too soon, given that Kaguya was now there.
"Let's head to Mount Myōboku..."
With that thought, Shūichi activated his space-time portal and arrived at the legendary mountain.
Deep within Mount Myōboku, Gamamaru slowly opened his eyes. "Shūichi has arrived. Go and bring him to me."
Fukasaku nodded. "For him to come here must mean something important."
Gamamaru chuckled. "Perhaps it concerns the future of the ninja world."
With curiosity, Fukasaku left.
Moments later, he found Shūichi standing atop Gamabunta's head.
"He wants to meet the Great Elder," Gamabunta said.
Fukasaku nodded. "Leave it to me."
Gamabunta turned his gaze to Shūichi. "This is as far as I can take you."
"Thank you, Bunta."
With a leap, Shūichi landed beside Fukasaku and followed him to Gamamaru's chamber.
Gamamaru looked at Shūichi and chuckled. "Seeing you, I feel like I'm looking at Hagoromo from the past."
Shūichi smiled and replied, "I'm nothing like the Sage of Six Paths."
"The Sage of Six Paths was a true prodigy."
He shamelessly considered himself a self-made man, carefully avoiding mentioning his "cheats."
Gamamaru smiled. "Indeed, you're not the same. In fact, your achievements have likely surpassed his."
Shūichi humbly responded, "That's uncertain; we'd have to fight to know for sure."
Gamamaru shook his head. "I wasn't referring to strength. I meant the changes you've brought to the ninja world."
"The current ninja world is something I never foresaw."
"The transformations have been far more dramatic than I ever imagined."
Shūichi nodded. "Change is driven by people. I wasn't the only one involved."
Gamamaru laughed. "But you were the key, the leader."
Shūichi spread his hands. "Thank you for the compliment."
Looking at the enigmatic young man before him, Gamamaru asked, "So, what brings you here this time?"
"Although I've dreamt of certain things, as you know, dreams are not entirely within one's control."
"What I see in those dreams isn't up to me. Perhaps this is the uncertainty of fate."
Getting to the point, Shūichi didn't waste words. "I want Mount Myōboku to integrate more closely with the ninja world."
Fukasaku interjected, "But aren't we already deeply connected to the ninja world? As beings removed from its conflicts, if we involve ourselves too much, we might lose our neutrality."
Shūichi chuckled. "If you stand for the ninja world, your position will never change."
"And that's precisely what Mount Myōboku has always adhered to, isn't it?"
Fukasaku fell silent.
Shūichi continued, "Mount Myōboku appears to exist above the fray, but from my perspective, it has always influenced the course of the ninja world."
"It has played pivotal roles—guiding the Sage of Six Paths and his brother to resist Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and directing Jiraiya to find the Child of Prophecy..."
Gamamaru smiled. "I was simply doing what I had to do."
Shūichi nodded. "As does everyone."
Gamamaru inclined his head slightly.
It was true—everyone acts based on what they believe is right.
Changing someone's mind is one of the most difficult tasks.
Hashirama Senju couldn't change Madara Uchiha's beliefs.
The Sage of Six Paths couldn't change the will of his mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Even Kaguya, who controlled Hamura Ōtsutsuki, couldn't alter his resolve.
That's why Kotoamatsukami, which can directly influence another's will, is rightfully called the ultimate genjutsu.
Unfortunately, the power of any technique lies not in itself but in the one who wields it.
After observing Shūichi more closely, Gamamaru smiled. "You are indeed different from Hagoromo."
"You have a greater desire for control and a far more assertive approach."
Shūichi laughed. "Perhaps it's because I'm younger than he was."
Gamamaru burst into laughter, then asked, "You're going to great lengths to unite the ninja world's power, but surely you've considered—if you fail, the ninja world will lose its chance to recover, won't it?"
"As a ninja, shouldn't you always keep a trump card?"
"Or, at the very least, conceal as much information about yourself as possible rather than revealing all your abilities?"
Shūichi nodded. "Under normal circumstances, you'd be right."
"But if you're facing an opponent far stronger than you, and a single failure means no second chance—when intel and hidden cards are meaningless—then there's no point in holding back."
"If the universe is a dark forest, then the Ōtsutsuki are the hunters within it, and we are their prey."
"More importantly, as prey, we are already completely exposed to these hunters' sights."
"They've pinpointed our stronghold, while we know next to nothing about them."
"In the darkness, they can hunt us at any time, and every hunt could be fatal."
"We can't afford any failures because failure means losing our ability to survive in this dark forest."
"So, when facing such formidable hunters, we must give our all every time—to defeat them and grow stronger."
"Not just to resist the next hunt, but to transform ourselves from prey into hunters."
Gamamaru couldn't help but fall into deep thought after hearing these words.
Fukasaku furrowed his brow, lost in deep thought.
Shūichi's "dark forest" analogy to explain the relationship between the ninja world and the Ōtsutsuki clan was both vivid and profound.
Moreover, it was undeniably reasonable.
If the Ninja Alliance were to fail, could Mount Myōboku or Ryūchi Cave resist the Ōtsutsuki on their own?
The answer was likely no.
Fukasaku didn't have much confidence in that prospect.
After a long pause, Gamamaru finally spoke, smiling at Shūichi. "I must admit, you've convinced me."
"Ha! It's been a long time since I've encountered something like this."
"Dark forests, prey, and hunters—what an intriguing perspective."
"So, how do you propose integrating Mount Myōboku into the Ninja Alliance?"
Shūichi inwardly felt satisfied.
If things could be resolved without fighting, that would be ideal.
It seemed Gamamaru was quite reasonable after all.
As for how to integrate them... Shūichi had already thought of some plans. Smiling, he said, "Of course, we won't have the sages of Mount Myōboku leave here."
"In fact, the greatest asset Mount Myōboku offers to the ninja world is senjutsu."
"And this is also one of our strongest tools to counter the Ōtsutsuki."
"However, compared to chakra, senjutsu is much more difficult to master."
Gamamaru chuckled. "That's true. Many have tried to train in senjutsu, but few succeed."
"Even among the toads of Mount Myōboku, not all can master senjutsu."
Shūichi nodded. "I've developed a senjutsu curse mark that can be widely applied—even to every ninja in the ninja world—allowing them to harness a portion of senjutsu's power."
"But for me, it's crucial to control this power, as people are ever-changing, especially when their desires can consume them."
"Moreover, senjutsu's value lies not in elevating ordinary ninjas but in empowering the elites."
"A single elite jonin mastering senjutsu can rival a Kage, while a Kage mastering senjutsu could achieve power beyond that of any Kage. The stronger the individual, the more astonishing senjutsu's potential."
Fukasaku couldn't help but remark, "In that case, since elites are few, wouldn't a more accessible senjutsu curse mark be better?"
Shūichi shook his head. "I firmly believe in one principle: the power you control yourself is the only power that truly belongs to you."
"The curse marks I create don't belong to others."
"If one day I fall in battle, the marks will disappear."
"Teaching someone how to fish is better than giving them a fish."
"If senjutsu ever becomes mainstream in the ninja world, then I believe the ninja world will finally have the confidence to become hunters."
Gamamaru sighed in admiration. "It's clear you've come this far not just because of luck."
Of course, it wasn't luck—it was cheats, Shūichi thought to himself.
Fukasaku said, "So, Shūichi, are you suggesting that Mount Myōboku open its doors and allow more elite ninjas to learn senjutsu?"
Shūichi nodded. "Training in senjutsu is indeed extremely challenging. But with my senjutsu curse marks to mitigate the risks, the fatality rate can be reduced to almost zero."
"And once they master Sage Mode, I can retrieve the curse marks."
"This applies equally to the toads of Mount Myōboku."
Gamamaru nodded after hearing this. "Then it's decided. I hope this helps you all."
"I'll leave the rest to Fukasaku and the others to handle…"
With that, Gamamaru slowly closed his eyes.
Fukasaku looked somewhat resigned and then turned to Shūichi. "So, how do you plan to start?"
Shūichi thought for a moment, then smiled. "Let's start with the toads of Mount Myōboku. How about that?"
Fukasaku nodded and turned around. "Then follow me!"
Mount Myōboku had many toads, but only a few could master senjutsu.
Soon, Fukasaku arranged for Shūichi to work with two toads who couldn't speak and could only croak.
Isn't this a bit too challenging?
Shūichi crouched down, placing a finger on the back of one of the toads.
With a hiss, a lotus-shaped mark appeared, forming a natural curse mark.
Of course, it was just a simple amplification mark.
He then applied a similar mark to the second toad.
Standing up, Shūichi smiled. "Now, it's up to you two."
"Once you've mastered senjutsu, we can move on to the next step."
(End of Chapter)
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